Henry mdller



(No Model.)

H. MULLER.

TUNING PIN FOR PIANOS. No. 420.914. Patented Feb. 4, 1890.

Wan esses mum UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY MIjLLER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOALBERT GRAFF, OF SAME PLACE.

TUNING-PIN FOR PIANOS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 420,914, dated February4, 1890.

Application filed August 26,1889. Serial No. 322,024.. (No model.)

To all 1072,0111. it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY MI'JLLER, of the city and county of SanFrancisco, State of California, have invented an Improved 'Iuning-Pinfor Pianos; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to a tuning-pin for pianos and other stringedinstruments of that class that will not be aifected by changes oftemperature, that can be easily turned to tighten or loosen the tensionof the string, and that will notretract under the strain of the string.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinalsectional view of a piano, and Fig. 2 a broken plan view.

Let A represent the frame of the action in which the tuning-pins aresecured.

My improved tuning-pin is adapted for either a wooden or iron frame. Ifthe frame is of iron, the tuning-pin socket is made di-.

rectly in the iron of the frame, but if it is of wood I secure the ironsocket-piece upon the wooden pin-block. The socket-post B is a tubularstud, which extends upward from the base-piece O, and it has ataperinghole passing down through it and through the basepiece, asshown. The tuning-pin has two diameters. The lower part dis of largerdiameter than the shank or wrest-pin e, and it is made conical ortapering to correspond with the taper of the bore of socket-post B. Thislower part (5 has a screw-threaded extension fbelow it which extendsbelow the socket,

so that when it is inserted in the socket one or more nuts g can beturned up against the under side of the socket base, and thus draw theconical or tapering part (Z down into the socket as tightly as desired.

In practice I shall usually interpose a thin washer or lining 2 ofleather or other material, inside of the socket around the conical part(Z, so as to provide a soft bearing between the socket and part cl, thusobtaining greater frictional contact and permitting the pin to be tunedmore easily with the tuning key or wrench. The socket and taperingportion of the pin do not extend as high as the bridge II, but thesmaller part of the pin 6, 011 which the wire is wound, extends aboveit, and its upper end is made rectangular in the usual way to receivethe socket of the key or wrench that winds the wire in tuning theinstrument.

By making the winding portion 6 of the pin pitch the chord as he workshis string up to the required sound without overstraining the string,and then working back to the required pitch.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Pat- 7o cut, is

1. A tuning-key for stringed instruments, consisting of a conical ortapering portion (1, fitting into a tubular socket-post, and a shank orwinding portion 6, of smaller diameter, 5

substantially as described.

. 2. A tuning-key for pianos, consisting of a tapering body (1, fittingin a tubular socketpost, a spindle or winding portion a, of smallerdiameter, projecting above the body (I, a

screw-threaded portion f below the body, and one or more tightening orset nuts g g, sub stantially as described.

3. A tuning-key for pianos having a-tapering body (I, fitting in atubular socket-post,

and a lining or washer t' interposed between the key and socket, substantially as described.

4. The tubular socket-post B, in combination with a tapering key (I,fitting the socket,

said tapering key having a concentric shank go or spindle c, of smallerdiameter, projecting above it, and a screw-threaded extension fextending below it, and the nuts'g g for holding said key in its socket,substantially as and for the purpose described.

HENRY MULLER. Vitn esses:

M. G. LOEFLER, J. A. VAUGHAN.

I also obtain a larger fric- 6o

